Where Homeless Help The Homeless
MEETING COORDINATORS: Facilitator: Bud, Stacker: Neal, Note Taker, Alan.
PEOPLE PRESENT:
Attending: Alan, Linda M, Vince, Bud, Pastor Felicia, Inez B Excused: Cheryl, Neal
AGENDA APPROVAL AND MINUTES ADOPTION
REPORTS/DISCUSSION
MEETING COORDINATORS: Facilitator: Neal, Stacker: Bud, Note Taker: Alan.
ATTENDING: Alan, Bud, Neal; Excused: Cheryl, Vince.
AGENDA APPROVED AND MINUTES ADOPTED:
REPORTS/DISCUSSION:
MEETING COORDINATORS:
PEOPLE PRESENT:
In Attendance: Neal, Bud, Alan; Excused: Vince, Cheryl.
AGENDA APPROVAL AND MINUTES ADOPTION
Meeting Coordinators:
People Present:
Neal, Bud, Vince, Alan.
Agenda Approval and Minutes Adoption
Meeting Coordinators
People Present:
Neal, Bud, Vince
Agenda Approval and Minutes Adoption
MEETING COORDINATORS:
ATTENDANCE: Neal, Vince, Alan, Bud, Sam
AGENDA APPROVAL AND MINUTES ADOPTION:
REPORTS AND DISCUSSION
MEETING COORDINATORS: Facilitator: Bud N; Note Taker: Alan OS
ATTENDANCE: Bud, Alan, Vince, Neal, Sam
ADOPTION OF AGENDA AND MINUTES:
AGENDA ITEMS:
Attendance: Alan, Bud, Cheryl, April, Sunny, Sam
The note taker arrived a 20 minutes’ late owing to a problem with the bus schedules. These notes may be incomplete.
BUSINESS
Contacts: Sunny suggested that we develop a list of allies. Alan suggested we could add allies to our Google database and create a label “Allies.”
List of tasks: The desirability of having a list of tasks and asking for development team members to take ownership of these tasks came up.
ATTENDANCE: Neal, Bud, Alan, Vince, Cheryl, Cindy
We discussed changing the meeting time to weekly, and we chose Wednesday, 4 to 5:30, beginning Aug 26, 2015. Provisionally, we will meet at the Rescue Mission, and we will try to hand out these leaflets. Neal will work on them, and Bud says he has a black-and-white laser and can print them. Sam, Marvin, Sunny, and Stephanie from Seattle will come to as many of these meetings as possible. We will try to involve the homeless in these meetings.
We talked about fundraising. Cindy will talk to Cornerstone, where she has an account. She will find out if it is possible to set up some way for Alan to integrate a donate button on the website. Cheryl will check into setting up a sub account under her religious organization “Serenity Love.” Alan will look into 3rd-party vendors. For material donations, we need to talk to Pastor Nina of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. It is possible that Spaceworks Tacoma may be able to help us with a storage space.
Respectfully submitted: Alan OldStudent
ATTENDANCE: Alan, Bud, Vince
BUSINESS: This morning, a group of our core developers, as well as people from Seattle SHARE/WHEEL, met with Kierra Phifer, assistant to Senator Patty Murray. TCT and SHARE/WHEEL activists raised many questions about why we have laws that make it illegal to help homeless. For example, Cheryl asked why giving blankets to homeless people or feeding homeless people in the parks are illegal activities.
Marvin, one of the Seattle people, suggested talking to the mayor. He suggested that the word “camp” or “encampment” are both okay, as long as it is preceded with the word “organized.” The term “organized camp” or “organized encampment” may not raise too many alarms, whereas the word “camp” or “encampment” without a modifier brings up images of spontaneous groups of homeless people living in the bushes.
Marvin also suggested making sure the camps are kept open to visitors from the community. He suggests meeting with neighbors before setting up an organized camp. Marvin also asks why it has to be churches. He notes that his research indicates there are 37 public land sites in Pierce County that could be used. That brings up the question of why is it only religious and educational institutions that are not banned from hosting a tent city, when in a larger sense, this is a city responsibility. Why is there money for hurricane and earthquake relief but no money to remediate homelessness?
Vince brings up the question of what are we to do next? Bud discussed involving some new people. We also discussed the business plan a bit. Vince will try to talk to Troy to find out what the plans are for his facility and how they can mesh purposes with TCT.
Respectfully submitted: Alan OldStudent